Fear of failure, self-doubt, insecurity, body shame, toxic relationships, comparison traps . . .
This one mindset shift changed everything.
You’re a new entrepreneur and you’ve got an inner voice that repeats the same three lies over and over again – “I’m not good enough,” “I’m going to fail,” “I’m so alone” – so that you’re too paralyzed to take the next step in your business.
Do you ever just need someone to say “Be as kind to yourself as you would a friend”?
Oh, you’re in just the right spot, friend!
That’s where I come in.
Did you know?
Research into the intersection of self-compassion and motivation has consistently shown that self-compassionate people are less likely to fear failure, more likely to try again when they do fail, and more likely to demonstrate the resilience that’s the key to success in life and business.
I’m Sarah and I work with female entrepreneurs like you who struggle with self-criticism, self-doubt, fear of failure, and impostor syndrome and are ready to transform their mindsets so that they can overcome their inner critics and push their businesses forward with confidence, courage, and authority.
I give them tools and resources to turn those negative self-sabotaging feelings into neutral and positive experiences through the development of an entrepreneurial self-compassion daily practice.
With 15+ years of personal practice, I have mentored other women for the past 5 years in the daily practice of self-compassion, helping them set boundaries in their personal and work relationships, manage the ups and downs of starting a healthy lifestyle, and discover strategies to navigate the mindset roadblocks that crop up during their first steps into entrepreneurship.
The one thing I’ve learned is that . . .
You’re closer to making a transformative mindset shift with entrepreneurial self-compassion than you think.
What’s Your Actual Self-Compassion Superpower in Business?
Take the Quiz
A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.
Christopher Germer
And when I’m not building a business about inspiring self-compassion or taking another course to develop my business further, I can be found
- walking all over Boston
- reading Regency romance novels
- bingeing serialized TV shows that I’ve seen before (some of my favorites: Farscape, Leverage, and Joss Whedon shows
- hanging out with my two cats, Tasha and Rory – Tasha is named for my favorite Avenger and Rory is named for my favorite Doctor Who companion
- traveling across the country by train to California where I grew up and where my family still lives
If you’re dying to know more, here are 10 things you don’t know about me:
Love of reading:
I’ve always been an avid reader, and I can read really fast. In addition to singlehandedly winning my second-grade class a Pizza Hut pizza party in a school-wide BookIt contest, I used to take home chapter books and read them in a single night. My school librarian was so suspicious that she gave me Sarah, Plain and Tall (50 pages) when I was 8. She then tested me when I brought it back the next day and I passed with flying colors.
When I was little:
When I was 7, I decided I was going to do corporate law when I grew up because it was the second highest salary for careers in the Game of Life board game. The highest, a doctor, was too gross for me even to consider. By the time I turned 21, I had realized that it was definitely not for me and I switched majors to English.
My long strange educational path:
In spite of my two Master’s degrees, it took me 13 years and 5 schools to finish my BA in English. This experience is both my greatest failure and my greatest success. It was when I realized just how special and important higher education (and lifelong learning) is to me on all levels of my life and why I went to grad school and why I started working in higher education.
Genetic mutant:
I have a genetic blood disorder that had already put me in the hospital 4 times. Until I was 25 and my estranged father died of a blood clot to the heart, my favorite way to introduce myself was as a genetic mutant. To be honest, I still kind of miss introducing myself that way.
I is for introvert:
I’m the introvertiest of introverts and scored a 30 on the Myers-Briggs test in introversion. No one believes me when I mention that I’m an introvert because I’m very good with people. Still, I learned a long time ago how to take care of myself and how much time I can spend with other people before I need to recharge, so I’m guessing people will continue to doubt me.
Best influence:
My grandmother was my best friend, my mother in more ways than the woman who gave me life, and my most significant personal influence all at once. A young widow with three young children, she dyed her hair red, went a little wild, and was known for walking into walls at parties. She taught me how to read, instilled a love of fantasy and crafting, and showed me how strategic and magnificent the game of football could be. Had she lived to see the Chargers release Drew Brees, I’m pretty sure she would have become a Saints fan as I did.
Love of reading, part 2:
I’m addicted to well-written contemporary historical romance novels, particularly those set in the Regency era. Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Sarah Maclean are 3 of my favorites. I will read the first chapter of Quinn’s Romancing Mr. Bridgerton to anyone who will stand still long enough for me to talk their ear off about the book. (The news that Shonda Rimes is adapting the Bridgerton series for Netflix made me happy for at least a week!).
Tendencies:
I read Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies recently, and I’m an obliger like 41% of the population (which is why I do well at supporting other people). People pleaser I might be, but I can also see questioner and upholder tendencies in my DNA. I like to make processes better and more efficient. More importantly, my biggest pet peeve is making plans and having people change them at the last minute. I won’t pretend to be a genial person at all times, but there is no quicker way to annoy me than to disrupt my plans.
Not-so-guilty pleasure:
I love going to the movies by myself, but I have a passion for midnight/opening night shows of big tentpole movies. The energy of a fannish crowd that cheers, whoops, claps, and talks back to the screen are one of my absolute favorite things to experience. These days, it’s mostly Disney and Marvel movies that inspire me to go to the movies opening night. It’s also why I was at the first shows for The Last Jedi, Black Panther, A Wrinkle in Time, and Avengers 3. I thank goodness every day that I live in Boston, a place with 6 or 7 pm opening night shows instead of midnight shows.
Coming home:
Boston is my dream city and has been since I was in high school even if I didn’t realize it at the time. I applied early admission to Harvard (and didn’t get in). However, my first visit to the city in 2005 to meet a friend and to meet the Veronica Mars cast was a transformative moment in my life. I fell in love even before I got off the plane at Logan. Coming back in 2012 for grad school was kismet. I’ve fallen in love a little more each day over the last five years. It’s my forever city if I can make it stick.
